Improvement in corn-planters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,178, dated January21, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SoLoMoN VANNUYS and HEZEKIAH VANNUYS, of Bethel, inthe county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certainImprovements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is aspecification:

Our invention relates to that class of cornplanters in whichreciprocating feed-slides are used; and it consists in placing a springcutoff above and a spring-bed below the slide so as to prevent thekernels of corn from being crushed or broken in case the cell or pocketof the slide becomes too full.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through ahopper and slide constructed onour plan 5 Fig. 2, a top-plan view of the same; and Fig. 3, a section onthe line :0 x.

Arepresents the hopper, which may be made in any of the usual forms. Bis the feed-slide, provided with the cell or pocket a, and arranged toslide back and forth in the bottom of the hopper in the usual manner, soas to carry the cell a alternately inside and outside of the same. O isour spring cut-off, consisting of a flat plate bearing on top of theslide, and secured at its outer end to the side of the hopper, so thatits inner free end can spring upward. D is our spring-plate, arranged tobearagainst the under side of the slide and form ayielding bottom to thecell or pocket to. The spring is mounted in a recess, 0, in the upperside of the hopper-bottom, and has its outer end secured rigidly inplace, so that the end at which the corn is discharged may be depressed.

So long as the corn just fills the cell or pocket the springs remain incontact with the slide, and the parts operate in the usual manner.

When, however, the corn is wedged into the pocket above the face of theslide, the spring 0 is bent upward and the spring D downward, so as toleave a space between them greater than the thickness of the slide, andpermit the charge. of corn to passoutward without any of the kernelsbeing crushed or broken.

In the drawing, the slide is shown with a yielding plate or tongue, I,to form one side of the cell, as in the patent granted to J. M.Harrison, January 24, 1871. Although this .arm or tongue enables ourarrangement to work in a better manner than it would otherwise do, stillit is not considered essential.

By applying our spring-plates we produce a feeding arrangement in whichit is impossible to crack or break the corn, and which operates with anease and smoothness unattainable in those of the ordinary construction.

It is, of course, obvious that the form and arrangement of the parts maybe varied as circumstances require or experience dictates withoutdeparting from the spirit of our invention; and also that the inventionapplies to other seeding-machines in which slides are used as well as tocorn-planters.

Having thus described'our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure, is-

In combination with the feed-slide of a cornplanter or seeder, thespring-plates G and D, when arranged substantially as shown, and for thepurpose set forth.

SOLOMON VANNUYS. HEZEKIAH VANNUYS.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. BARREEN, AGHSUM JACKSON.

